


Izuku: To Balance or Save?

by Slizzah



Category: Bleach, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: All For One is prominent, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gender Bender, Slow Build to Romance, read my stuff on FF net
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-18
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2020-10-21 00:46:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20684708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Slizzah/pseuds/Slizzah
Summary: AU: Young Izuku runs into a Soul Reaper. He finds he has latent Soul Reaper powers and unlocks them. Now he can be a hero! How does one juggle between duties to the dead and to the living? Can he walk the line between keeping the balance of souls and obeying the law? How will Izuku react when forces from both sides want to manipulate and influence him? IzukuxFemTodoroki





	1. Chapter 1

Izuku Midoriya ran for his life. Forcing his legs to keep pumping, he desperately gasped for air trying to out run the monster that was chasing him. Izuku had no idea what it was but it didn’t look like a mutation Quirk, it had a big dark body with an animalistic white mask. All Izuku knew was that some instinct drove him to run.

He had followed Katsuki into a forest behind a fence even though Izuku had tried to explain that it was too dangerous for six year olds like themselves. Izuku had gotten lost when Kacchan and his two friends ran off but he hadn't been too worried until the large monster had appeared through a purple portal.

The monster gave a throaty chuckle, “Come back boy. It’s been far too long since I’ve had a pure human to feast on. I can smell your spiritual energy from here; it smells delicious!”

Izuku shuddered and somehow managed to squeeze out a bit more speed. He didn’t want to get eaten, he wanted to be a hero like All Might! Why weren’t any heroes coming to help him?

With a soft boom the monster appeared in front of Izuku and swung a fist right into Izuku’s chest. Izuku went flying back into a tree and bounced off the trunk to the ground. Pain flooded his body and Izuku was having trouble breathing. Face down in the dirt, Izuku couldn’t even find the strength to roll on his back.

The monster took a step forwards, “A human with actual spiritual energy, what a find! I’m going to eat you slowly and savour this!”

If he had any kind of clarity, the words would have terrified Izuku but as it was, his biggest problem was his inability to breath. Izuku had closed his eyes from the pain but all of a sudden it stopped being a problem. He opened his eyes to a strange sight; his body lay on the floor motionless but that couldn’t be right since Izuku was standing right here.

An alien weight in his chest made Izuku look down and he saw a chain connecting him to his body. What was happening?

The monster laughed, “That just made this even easier, thanks kid! Now that your soul has left your body I can sample the goods. I think I’ll eat your arms first, let pure spiritual energy fill my belly as I listen to your screams!”

Izuku turned to run away again but just as he took a few steps the chain stopped his progress and he slipped to the ground. Izuku slowly looked up at the monster in fear but he didn’t scream; he was too scared for that.

The monster reached out with a hand and ripped the chain from the body on the floor. It than reached out again intending to grab Izuku around the waist, Izuku knew he should move, fight back to just _do something _but he couldn’t.

Just as the hand was about to close there was a slashing sound and the monster’s hand fell to the ground cut off at the wrist. The monster howled in pain before looking behind and above Izuku in rage.

Izuku turned his head and saw a strange sight, it was a man dressed in a traditional black kimono with a white haori over the top, odd straps across his chest while holding two swords but the thing that caught Izuku’s eyes most was his hair, it was bright orange!

The monster gripped his severed limb, “A Soul Reaper? Just my luck, I find a tasty meal and run into a Captain of the Thirteen Squads.”

The monster opened another purple portal but before it could get in the man seemed to teleport to the monster and sliced its mask apart it’s body dissolving into particles.

With the monster’s death, the portal closed and the man turned to look at Izuku. He looked a little uncomfortable but he sheathed his swords.

“Uh, hey there kid. Name’s Ichigo Kurosaki and that was a Hollow.”

Izuku had absolutely no idea what was going on but he was happy that he was saved.

“Thanks so much mister! What’s you’re hero name? I’m surprised I’ve never heard of you which is funny since your hair sticks out a lot.”

Ichigo was obviously annoyed at the direction Izuku’s words had taken, “Oi, my hair isn’t that weird. Anyway, I’m not a hero but a Soul Reaper. Your Chain of Fate may be cut but there’s a good chunk of it remaining so you have plenty of time.”

Ichigo sat on the ground in front of Izuku, “Alright I’ll explain some stuff. There’s more to the world than the one you can see. Souls exist as spirits and when a person dies their soul remains. A Soul Reaper escorts those souls to a place called Soul Society. It’s an okay place especially once Orihime got there.”

Ichigo’s face took on a distant look, “She saw the condition of the districts and really whipped the Thirteen Squads into shape by making them help the citizens.”

Ichigo shook his head to clear it of his stray thoughts, “Sorry got distracted thinking of my wife. Anyway, that Hollow was also once a human soul. Hollows form when a soul has a purpose it needs to fulfil such as looking after family. That may sound nice but since souls can’t really interact with people, many souls can’t cope and lose themselves and usually their goal becomes an obsession.”

Izuku raised his hand, “What’s obsesen mean?”

One of Ichigo’s eyebrow’s twitched but he answered calmly, “It’s obsession and it’s something a person wants really, really badly; more than anything else in the world.

“Anyway, when a soul gets like that, they transform into Hollow’s and become hungry. They feed on spiritual energy and since they are obsess… uh since they think about their family all the time, that’s who they eat first.”

Izuku looked a little green at the thought. He could never do that to his mum!

Ichigo got to his feet and his face was grim, “Okay, now that you know the basics I’ll send you on to Soul Society. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry kid.”

Izuku scrambled to his feet, “Wait what?! I have to go home and see my mum! It’s nearly night time and she hate’s me being late!”

Ichigo briefly closed his eyes, “Look kid, don’t you remember what I said about Hollows? If I don’t do this than you might turn into one. Do you want that?”

Izuku looked scared at the thought but his lip stuck out stubbornly. “No I don’t want to be a monster but I can’t leave mum! She’s thinks I don’t know my dad’s dead; she says he works over seas but she’s sad when I ask about him. She needs me, I gotta protect her and be a hero!”

Izuku’s words struck a chord inside of Ichigo. Ichigo knew what it was like to lose someone and protecting loved ones? He knew all about that to. It was going against his mission’s orders but that wasn’t something new.

The stubborn look in Izuku’s eyes also brought forth long buried memories of another teenage boy, one who was taken from life long before his time.

_‘Kazui…’_

Ichigo shook his head and stamped down on the impulse to recall the times spent with his dead son. If he didn’t stop this soon than he would be a moody mess for the rest of the day.

Ichigo could also picture Orihime’s face when he explained all this to her and he hated disappointing her, even if she hadn’t been cleared with all of Izuku’s details.

Ichigo sheathed his swords again, “Okay kid I have an idea. If I leave you like this you’ll eventually become a Hollow and that can’t happen. The only other choice is for you to become a Soul Reaper like me. Do you want that?”

Izuku looked halfway convinced already but he said, “If I become a Soul Reaper can I stay with mum?”

Ichigo scratched his head, “Well there is something called a Substitute Soul Reaper and it’s someone who lives in the human world but deals with Hollows. As the Captain of Squad Seven, I have the authority to make you my squad’s Substitute. So yes, you can stay in the human world but first we’ll have to talk to my friend Kisuke, he’ll be able to explain things better.”

Izuku had stopped listening when he heard he could stay with his mum. He was now bouncing on the spot in excitement, he was going to get powers! It wasn’t a Quirk but it was something at least, maybe Kacchan would be his friend again?

Ichigo had a faint smile on his face as he watched the excited kid, “Hey, wanna tell me your name now?”

Izuku tried to pause and look at Ichigo but that was hard to do mid jump. He landed a little awkwardly and looked embarrassed, “Oh sorry Mr Kurosaki, I’m Izuku, Izuku Midoriya.”

Ichigo held out a hand, “It’s nice to meet you Izuku, just call me Ichigo. Now we better hurry before your mum freaks out!”

xXx

Kisuke Urahara had no idea what to expect when he saw Ichigo turn up at his shop carrying a young boy’s soul in a piggy back and what looked like the soul’s body under one arm but being asked to turn the boy into a Soul Reaper wasn’t it.

Flicking out his fan in front of his face Kisuke said, “Well young Midoriya I admire your bravery but this is very dangerous. To become a Soul Reaper so fast I’ll have to use my Shattered Shaft. There is a big risk that you turn into a Hollow if you can’t find your powers in time. Are you sure you want to try?”

Izuku had generally been described as a cry-baby but at his core there was a layer of strength that even he didn’t know was there. That meant that when faced with the choice of seeing his mum again or not he found the strength to take the hard path. Izuku gave Kisuke a single, resolute nod and Kisuke sighed before leading Izuku to his underground basement.

Since Izuku had said that he was six, Kisuke didn’t simply drop him into the Shaft like he had with Ichigo all those years ago, instead lowering him with a rope. That was something that Ichigo noted but didn’t comment on, it wasn’t the time. Next time though, Kisuke was getting a kick to the head.

Kisuke looked down the shaft at Izuku, “Remember, enter your Soul-scape and find your Soul powers. You have to hurry!”

xXx

Izuku had no real idea what he was doing all he had been told was to enter his Soul-scape but he didn’t know how to do that. He looked around the shaft he was in and was thinking about how to go about things when a sharp pain hit him.

Izuku snapped to look at his chain which had developed tiny mouths and was eating the chain faster than before! Panic filled his mind as pain filled his body and Izuku fell on his back, unable to do a thing. How was he going to do this? How could I think he was strong enough to be a hero? Was Kacchan right?

The pain was reaching a fever pitch when Izuku felt a strange presence in his mind.

**“Is this the limit of my new host? Are you really so weak?”**

What was that? Was he going crazy?

**“No I am your Soul Reaper powers. Let my voice fill your mind and follow it. Do you trust me?”**

For a reason he didn’t know Izuku did trust the voice. He let it fill his head and closed his eyes. When Izuku opened his eyes he wasn’t in the shaft anymore. He was standing in a forest and in the distance a large mountain could be seen, it looked tall enough to reach the clouds.

A cough behind Izuku made him turn and Izuku couldn’t believe his eyes. Before him stood a man but he was the strangest person he had even seen which was saying something.

The man was very tall and looked like he was made out of flames but not on fire. It was almost as if he was a ghost but instead of being white and ‘ghosty’ he was red and orange. The colours flickered hypnotically in an ever changing pattern, the only thing that wasn’t red or orange was his eyes. Steel grey eyes pieced Izuku and he couldn’t help but feel like he had disappointed the man.

The man’s stern face didn’t waver as he said, **“Greetings Izuku my name is………..”**

Izuku blinked; had he just stopped before saying his name? That was a funny thing to do. The man’s face, if possible, became sterner.

**“So you don’t think yourself worthy of hearing my name? Stop cowering behind your fear, I am the strongest Zanpakuto spirit to exist! You have nothing to fear but yourself!”**

Izuku was confused, did the man say he couldn’t hear his name because Izuku was scared? That didn’t make sense, he was here wasn’t he?

The man took a step forward and Izuku took an automatic step back. Disappointment flashed in the man’s eyes.

**“You took the first step yes but anyone can do that. You must continue on, forwards like a raging fire. You feared losing your mother, understandable but what do you want? If you could have anything in the world what would it be?”**

Izuku brought a hand to his chin in thought. He remembered coming back from the doctors two years ago; that had been the worst day of his life. Being told he didn’t have a Quirk had hurt but when he asked his mum if he could be a hero she hadn’t given him what he wanted.

He wanted to be told that he could be a hero, even without a Quirk but instead his mum had cried and apologised. That had hurt far more but Izuku hadn’t told anyone that.

The man stood there watching his host think things through. He had patience, learned from thousands of years’ worth of experience. He knew Izuku needed a moment to figure it out for himself, the boy would never grow if he handed all the answers to him.

xXx

Ichigo was concerned, Izuku had stopped moving and screaming in pain a few minutes ago. He turned to Kisuke,

“Oi Kisuke, did Izuku already unlock his Soul-scape? It took me three days before Zangetsu dragged me there. Is this normal?”

Kisuke’s hat had angled down and kept his eyes away from Ichigo’s gaze as he answered, “Souls react to life threatening situations. Typically souls will enter their Soul-scapes early in the corrosion process like Izuku. I’d guess that it took you so long since you had a Quincy side fighting the process and your Hollow that fused with your Zanpakuto was fighting the Quincy instead of getting to know you. There is also the fact that Izuku has no training in this and you did, Izuku’s soul would’ve reacted to the danger far faster than normal.”

Ichigo nodded, “Ah okay. I hope old man Shunsui won’t be too mad at me. I know he wanted Izuku enrolled at the Spiritual Arts Academy but Izuku has a way with words. Hopefully things all work out!”

Kisuke remained silent for a time. It was long enough to make Ichigo uncomfortable but eventually the shop keeper said, “I can’t speak for the Captain Commander but I imagine he’ll be happy that Izuku is taking the steps to be a Soul Reaper, especially if my readings are correct and the boy is _his _reincarnation.

“Enough about that though, tell me more about the escape. I was under the impression that Aizen was kept under constant guard.”

Ichigo’s face clouded with anger, “Kurotsuchi still has no idea how Aizen escaped Muken but everyone’s on alert. We must be ready for anything he throws at us.”

Ichigo had always stepped up to the plate when he needed to. It was in his nature to protect the people he cared about but ever since he lost his Bankai fighting Ywach, he had lost a step. True most of the current Captains couldn’t handle his Shikai but Aizen was far from normal and Ichigo no longer knew if he could deal with the traitor.

Ichigo wasn’t stupid, he had a fairly good idea why Shunsui was so interested in Izuku. If Kisuke’s suspicions were correct than Izuku could be the strongest Soul Reaper since Ichigo had been born but Izuku was just a boy.

Orihime would’ve protested against the fierce training Izuku would’ve been put through at the Academy, she was still the kindest soul he had ever known and that along with his conscience had stayed Ichigo’s hand from performing Konso on Izuku’s soul. Let the kid grow up, let him become the hero he wanted to be before he joined the afterlife and saddled with the baggage they had.

xXx

What did he want most? Izuku wanted to help people, he wanted to be a hero. It had been his dream ever since he could think, All Might was just that cool!

Izuku looked up at the man, “I want to help people with a smile on my face! That’s what I want.”

A small smile graced the man’s face, **“And how will you do that if you can’t say my name? You already know it Izuku, I don’t need to tell you.”**

Izuku gained a determined look on his face, “You and me, we _can _be heroes! It’s like you said before, don’t stop moving. Will you help me become a hero, Ryujin Jakka?!”

The man’s smile became a wide grin, this kid was finally getting it!

**“I will stand with you Izuku. Together, nothing can stop us from reaching our goals! Now that you know my name the corrosion of your chain has stopped. You’re a Soul Reaper now Izuku. Make sure you ask Kisuke for an Asauchi so that you may access my full power. Now go forth and take this world by storm!”**

Izuku opened his eyes and realised that he was back inside the shaft. Looking at his chest he saw that the chain was gone but he wasn’t in pain anymore. He let out a whoop of joy and he saw both Ichigo and Kisuke looking down at him.

“Hey guys I did it! I got my Soul Reaper powers! Can you bring me up now please?”

xXx

All For One was a busy man. He had so many plans and counter measures in motion while trying to run his criminal empire that he rarely had time for himself. Most of that free time was spent training young Tomura, cultivating him into someone worthy of replacing him.

That wasn’t the most pressing thing on his mind though, it wasn’t even All Might on his vengeful quest no it was finding a way to explain the weird things he had been seeing lately.

The best way to describe them would be ghosts but All For One had no time for such things, there was always a sensible explanation for things.

He was sitting in one of his many offices hidden around the world. Most of them had the same interior, it made planning much easier if the settings were familiar. It could be described as a typical office belonging to any CEO on the planet but with one difference. The floor had electrical wiring through it, allowing him to shock anybody he wanted with impunity.

His large oak desk was generally kept clean but today it had a folder containing details about the latest bunch of UA students and their Quirks. He always kept an eye on the aspiring youngsters looking to make their mark on the world plus if any had any Quirk’s he just had to have, chances are they would be at UA.

His train of thought was derailed when a purple portal opened in his office and he was on guard at once. That was nothing like Kurogiri’s Quirk, whoever this was it was definitely an intruder.

All For One saw a man walk out and his first thought was that he didn’t look all that threatening but then _something _slammed down on his shoulders and All For One was forced to the ground. Looked like his first impression was wrong.

The intruder sat down in his guest chair and looked faintly amused. “Don’t get up on my account. My name is Sosuke Aizen and I believe I have the answers you seek. All I ask in return his that you take an interest in a young boy called Izuku Midoriya.”

The pressure relented and All For One managed to get back to his feet. Maintaining what was left of his dignity, he sat in his chair and looked at Aizen.

“What makes you think I’ll listen to anything you have to say?”

Aizen smirked at All For One, “Because I can explain exactly why you’ve started seeing ghosts. And also why your power has started growing at an accelerated pace.”

All For One was curious he could admit that but he had been operating in the shadows for too long to be naïve enough to presume this was a friendly meeting. Still, he coveted knowledge and right now it looked like he was going to get some in exchange for keeping an eye on some kid. It was too good a deal to pass up.

xXx

“Now that you are a proper Soul Reaper Izuku, your soul form will be able to enter and leave your body**. **That means that when your body grows, your soul will to.”

Kisuke left out the detail that Izuku’s original body had died for a short while and that he had used that as an opportunity to make some changes to it. It was unethical but Kisuke had never been one to falter while working for the greater good.

Kisuke had used a defibrillator that he had lying around in his shop to restart Izuku’s heart once the changes had been made; they allowed Izuku to use his soul powers while in his body which would be needed if Izuku was going to become a hero which was all the rage these days. Kisuke had also placed a Soul Energy Limiter on the back of Izuku’s hand in invisible ink. Imbuing the ink with a touch of Spiritual Energy made it permanent and meant that Izuku’s energy was reduced by roughly eighty percent.

Izuku’s energy levels weren’t that high currently but Kisuke was sure that Izuku’s progress was going to be scarily fast just like Ichigo. Kisuke theorised that since Ichigo’s soul was still tied to a living body, it had to the same ability as a human body to adapt to situations quickly. Souls could change but the process was slower and with Izuku being a kid, the increases in power would be even more apparent. The Limiter wouldn’t be needed now but would be in a short while.

Kisuke could be wrong though, Ichigo was still a unique existence being a perfect hybrid and that was the reason for the rapid growth but even so, with the lack of Spiritual Energy in the world it would be too easy for Izuku to influence the world around him with his power.

Blissfully unaware of the invasion of privacy, Izuku thanked Kisuke for all the help. Izuku got really excited when Kisuke handed him an Asauchi. Listening to the instructions given to him by Ryujin, Izuku focused on the feeling on power inside of him.

It took a while but eventually he could feel what Ryujin called his Spiritual Energy. Taking it, Izuku channelled it into the sword and keeping the pace up he could _feel _Ryujin being in tune with him. Though it was just Izuku’s voice in the air, it was both of them that said,

“Reduce all Creation to Ash: Ryujin Jakka!”

It was a good thing that they were still in Kisuke’s under ground area since a massive burst of fire erupted from the blade that Izuku was holding. The flames soared through the air and hit a boulder heating it red in a matter of seconds.

With a yelp, Izuku lowered the amount of energy he was feeding Ryujin and the flames died down. Taking the chance to inspect the new blade, Izuku saw that it was shorter than what Kisuke had given him but the handle purple with an ornate oval hand guard.

**“That form is basically what I looked like two centuries ago when I died with my former host. The blade itself is shorter, more a tanto than a full blade but that shouldn’t be a problem.”**

Izuku was far too busy looking at his new sword to notice Kisuke and Ichigo standing a short distance away.

Ichigo was troubled, “You were right than, Izuku is the reincarnation of old man Yama. Oh man, Shunsui is going to be pissed that I stopped him from getting to teach his old sensei.”

Kisuke shook his head, “That shouldn’t be your biggest concern. Instead it should be how Aizen will manipulate things to get his hands on Izuku. The wielder of Ryujin Jakka is a force to be reckoned with and since Izuku hasn’t seen Kyoka Suigetsu and has the potential to use Bankai, you should worry about Izuku getting to keep his childhood happy. Remember what Aizen did to you when he thought you were getting soft?”

Ichigo’s face darkened. “I won’t let that happen, not to another kid. The pain of losing your mum is something that never leaves you.”

Kisuke’s eyes fell on Izuku’s excited six year old face. “Let’s hope you do. When Yamamoto was born and Ryujin Jakka came about, it took a thousand years for a Soul Reaper to be born that was stronger than him. Izuku may be our best chance against Aizen especially if you can’t use Bankai and Aizen can.”


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

All For One drummed his fingers on his desk while deep in thought,

“So just to make sure I haven’t misunderstood you, Quirks were birthed from latent Spiritual Energy in humans. That energy mutated into Quirks fifty years after the death of this Soul King correct?”

Aizen nodded, “And that’s why you are now able to see ghosts. By taking Quirks, you are taking Spiritual Energy and recently you crossed a threshold of power. Keep taking energy and I theorize that in time you might even be able to take Soul Reaper Zanpakuto’s. I’d like to see the limits of your power.”

All For One could see Aizen’s point. He hadn’t known Aizen too long, but men like them always had an angle to play, a scheme to plot. Aizen needed his help with something but couldn’t come out and say it, it would make his position too weak.

“Why would I bother with your world? I control most of mine through crime and blackmail. I’m in charge here and at the top of the food chain.”

Aizen leaned forward in his chair smirking, “Because I took the time to watch you, Shigaraki. I’ve lived for centuries and when one man started controlling the trade and acquisition of Quirks, I knew it was someone I should keep tabs on. I’ve followed your life for a long time and one thing I know about you is that you have an insatiable appetite for knowledge and power. 

“You might be content for the moment but now that you know there is more out there it will draw you back in like a moth to a flame. You want to see everything and most importantly, _take _everything. You can’t walk away from this and I’m your best shot at reaching the top.”

All For One had lived for a long time; he had taken a Quirk that could convert fat cells into livable years and he’d had a century of experience dealing with people but he hadn’t met anybody like Sosuke Aizen. The man was too slick, too sure of himself but also had the strength to back it up; it was almost like facing off against himself. If Aizen had watched him as closely as stated than there was no real point arguing the point. 

All For One rested his elbows on the desk, hands clasped in front of his face, “If you know so much about me than you also know I don’t do anything for free. You’d also know that I know you have your own game and that I won’t play second fiddle to anybody.”

Aizen actually leaned back in his chair and chuckled. “True and I won’t bother denying it, but you should know that for the moment our interests align. I can give you even more power, not a Quirk but actual real power; power that would make you a true threat to Soul Reapers. All I ask in return is that you take an interest in Izuku Midoriya. 

“The boy is a reincarnation of a very powerful Soul Reaper and has a lot of potential. I’d do it myself, but Soul Society is already aware of Izuku’s existence and I’m cautious when it comes to inciting their anger but as a human, you have ways to come into Izuku’s life and not arouse suspicion.”

All For One pondered on his next move. He knew that his schedule had been shot to hell since Aizen’s appearance in his office but that was the furthest thing on his mind. No, there was more opportunity to expand his influence, more information to gather and all he had to do was become a part of Izuku Midoriya’s life? And if Izuku was as important as All For One suspected than it would be a good idea to bring the boy under his wing. 

All For One locked eye’s with Aizen, “Your request is easy enough. Forging documents is simple with my contacts in the government, I can claim to be Izuku’s grandfather or something like that,”

All For One’s eyes gained an almost unnatural gleam, “Tell me your plan to give me this power?”

Aizen smiled, everything had gone as he’d planned. He raised his hand and concentrated, a flash of blue light shone and when it blinked out, a small blue orb and appeared in Aizen’s palm.

“Let me tell you about a man called Kisuke Urahara and a process called Hollowfication.”

xXx

Inko Midoriya couldn’t remember when she had this happy. It had been two weeks since Izuku came home with Mr Kurosaki and her boy was over the moon because his Quirk had manifested. The change in Izuku’s life was so sudden that it was almost jarring.

The bullies had stopped their ways and Katsuki was talking to Izuku again. Her boy no longer came home after school quiet and withdrawn, now he was a happy ball of energy. 

She had always known that life wasn’t fair, but nothing had hammered that lesson home more than when Izuku had been diagnosed as Quirkless. Her boy just wanted to help people and when he had reached out to her for reassurance, she had failed her son. 

Hindsight was always twenty-twenty, and it was only few months after that she had realized her mistake. Once she had, she had immediately told Izuku that he could be a hero but the damage had been done. Izuku didn’t believe her, it was obvious that he thought she was just trying to be nice.

She had stepped on her son’s hopes and dreams and the guilt had driven her to stress eat. Now though, her son was positively burning with energy and life and seeing that eased the guilt in Inko’s heart.

She was busy preparing Izuku’s favorite Katsudon for dinner, it was a surprise since Izuku was currently at Katsuki’s. The boys had renewed their friendship, brash as Katsuki could be, and usually spent their time practicing with their Quirks. 

She had just put the rice on when the doorbell rang. When she opened it, she felt shock run through her body. A man who looked an awful lot like an outdated version of her Hisashi was standing there with a nervous smile on his face,

“Hello, We’ve not actually met before but I’m Tohdoh Midoriya, Hisashi’s father. I know this is out of the blue and that I had my differences with my son, but I’ve only just learned that I have a grandson. I’d like to meet him if possible.”

Inko blinked in surprise, Hisashi had greatly disliked his father and as far as she knew the feeling was mutual. Why on earth would her father in law be here now?

“Sorry but I don’t believe you. My late husband cut all ties with his family, why would you try to care now?”

Tohdoh adopted a hurt expression, “I know that things were… strained between my son and I but as age makes my bones creak clarity comes to my mind. My son knew how important our family’s legacy was to me and I let it drive him away. At the very least can I explain myself to you inside and not on the doorstep?”

Inko was still a little apprehensive but the resemblance was uncanny. It couldn’t hurt letting an old man talk could it? She stepped to one side letting Tohdoh into her home.

xXx

All For One sat at the Midoriya dining table with a cup of tea provided by Inko. The plan was going even easier than expected, how on earth was Inko so trusting?

He used a telepathy Quirk he had taken from a European backpacker and skimmed Inko’s memories to fill in the gaps his investigation had left out. 

Having a name made looking up Izuku Midoriya ridiculously easy and one of the first things to pop up was an obituary for one Hisashi Midoriya who had died in a car crash two years ago. Looking up the history of the Midoriya’s had shown All For One that Tohdoh Midoriya had been obsessed with his family’s business and reputation. 

Contacts in telecommunication and the mail system showed that Hisashi hadn’t contacted his father in any way for twelve years and All For One surmised that it was a safe bet that Inko hadn’t met her father in law in person. Using Tohdoh’s picture on his passport, All For One was able to copy his appearance with a Mimicry Quirk before killing and assuming Tohdoh’s identity.

Telepathy quickly showed that the situation was more complicated but that it only worked in All For One’s favor. It seemed that Tohdoh had arranged a Quirk marriage for Hisashi to a woman who had the ability to turn intangible. It looked like he wanted a grandson who could literally become fire and become a rich hero that would provide for his family. Hisashi had run away and married Inko instead with Tohdoh casting Hisashi out, cutting him off from the family entirely. 

All For One adopted his most sincere expression, “Inko, I know that my selfishness cost me my son, but I didn’t even know I had a grandson. I’m old and he will carry on the Midoriya name and I’d like the chance to get to know him.”

He could see the foolish woman wavering, but he was caught momentarily off guard when she said, “I bet you did know Izuku was alive but didn’t care about him since he was diagnosed as Quirkless. Now that he has manifested a fire Quirk that the doctors claim could, in the future, be on par with Endeavor’s, you suddenly want to be a part of his life. Hisashi told me about how manipulative his father was and though I think you do want to meet Izuku, you finally have the powerful grandson you always wanted, one that will make your final years comfortable.”

All For One had to think fast. Did he admit part of the truth to Inko and hope that she accepted his presence anyway or try lie when she was so obviously against her father in law? 

He would need to be careful, “Inko, I’ll admit there is some truth to your accusation, but…”

He held up a hand to forestall Inko’s interruption, “But Quirkless or not he is still a Midoriya. If he had remained Quirkless I would’ve approached him when he was sixteen. There are things he should know about our family and even if he is Quirkless he still has our genes, meaning that our legacy might continue.”

That made Inko pause, trying to think of another angle to attack from. When she couldn’t think of anything she just asked, “What is this legacy you always speak of?”

All For One had ‘interrogated’ the real Tohdoh Midoriya before killing and stealing his identity so he knew all about Tohdoh’s vaunted ideals. While distastefully mundane, it gave All For One a convenient excuse to try and enter Izuku’s life.

“For generations the Midoriya family has been a line of fire-based Quirks. We used those Quirks to open our own pottery business since it was extremely cheap as we only had to pay for materials. Our shop is small so we specialized in custom pieces but our name is well known among collectors. Our family’s riches have always been dependent on the craftsmanship of our painters but more importantly on the quality of our Quirks. 

“The hotter we could burn the easier it was to make pottery and Hisashi was gifted. The only downside was that his Quirk was also dependent on how long he could exhale but our shop had taken an upswing after years of scrapping by. 

“If we lost the shop, we would lose a family business and I wasn’t going to let that happen. It was why I wanted Hisashi to marry that intangible woman. His son might’ve been able to become fire and keep the furnace burning all the time. But I pushed too hard and drove Hisashi away. The shop has fallen on hard times and we’re barely coping pretty soon we’ll have to sell or declare bankruptcy.”

All For One locked eye’s with Inko, his gaze burning with passion, “This shop has been passed down our line for generations, it’s tradition and one of the few things our family can be proud of. I just want the chance to explain that to Izuku, I hope he decides to help.”

For her part, Inko now looked unsure. Hisashi had often talked about the guilt he’d felt cutting off his father but hadn’t really gone into the details. Now that she had the full picture, she couldn’t really fault Tohdoh for trying.

Inko gave a hesitant nod, “Okay you can talk to him but not now. He only just got his Quirk and he can’t push himself too hard. Come back when he’s older, when he can make an informed decision on his own.”

All For One hid a grimace, it seemed that would be the best he was going to get. He had just started reaching for a Compulsion Quirk to reach his goals, something he actually detested doing but this was important but he stopped when the front door opened and young Izuku ran in.

“Mum! I was playing with Kacchan and I discovered something new with my Quirk! Let’s go outside so I can show you!”

His excitement slowed some when he saw an unfamiliar face, “Who’s this mum? Can I show him to?”

Inko now had a resigned look on her face but she forced a smile and nodded, motioning everybody to the backyard. There Izuku concentrated and made a sword appear, grasping it he made a burst of flames appear.

He took a deep breath, inhaling the flames before exhaling a thin stream of fire so hot it burned blue. That would’ve been fine except Izuku lost control and set the back fence on fire. Without missing a beat All For One reached out with one of his many flame Quirks and sucked the flames into his hand before quenching them. 

Izuku looked very embarrassed as he stammered out apology after apology but Inko had a faint smile on her face, “It’s okay Izuku, you didn’t mean to and thanks to Tohdoh here there’s almost no damage.”

Seeing that his mum wasn’t angry at him Izuku calmed down enough to look at All For One. Izuku bowed in gratitude, “Thank you for saving the fence. Sorry for being a bother.”

All For One merely smirked before hastily turning it into a smile, Izuku had so much power already! 

“It’s alright young man. As your mother said, no harm done.”

Izuku rubbed the back of his head still embarrassed but no longer stammering. “Your Quirk is pretty cool! Is it total control of flames? Does it work on all fire? Can you make as hot as you want? Oh wait…. Mum who is this guy?”

Inko couldn’t hold back her chuckles and All For One actually found himself genuinely smiling at Izuku’s behavior. The boy was so young and innocent, it would be fun to teach him, to mold him into a figure willing to do his bidding.

Inko managed to pause enough to say, “Izuku this is Tohdoh Midoriya, your grandfather. He just heard about you and wanted to say hi.”

All For One held his hand out to shake, “It’s a pleasure to meet you Izuku. I apologize for not seeing you before but I promise to not miss anything from now on. Which reminds me...”

All For One reached into a pocket and pulled out a small gift-wrapped parcel, “I missed six birthdays and Christmas’s, I hope you like this present as a way to make it up to you.”

Izuku’s eyes lit up but he remembered his manners, thanking All For One profusely before ripping of the wrapping paper to see that he’d been given a limited edition All Might Silver Age watch. The chain strap was red with white lines and the watch face’s background dark blue. The hands of the watch were styled to look like All Might’s hair. It was a collector’s item and very expensive but All For One knew that first impressions counted, and he needed Izuku to see him in a positive light, not that monetary expenses were a problem for him.

Izuku managed to stay still long enough for Inko to place the watch on his wrist before waving his arm around in excitement,

“Thank you, thank you, thank you so much! How did you get this?! Only two hundred were ever made!”

All For One smirked, “I’ll go into the details later but one of my clients paid for some of my work with that when he heard I was trying to think of a gift for my grandson. How lucky was that?”

The story was a complete fabrication but no-one needed to know that. It would help show Izuku that All For One was dedicated to his ‘grandson’s’ happiness and gave Inko a reason to see that the gift was a coincidence and that he wasn’t lying about the shop’s misfortunes but that he was still trying to make up for his past mistakes.

Izuku managed to tear his eyes off of his new watch to look at All For One, “Thanks again, hey you never answered my questions. What is your Quirk?”

All For One held out a hand and a small flame sprang up, “It’s Pyrokinesis. I can control flames easily but can only produce a small amount but if there is a fire nearby I can use that instead.”

Izuku’s eyes, if possible, sparkled even more, “Wow that’s super awesome! You could do so much with a Quirk like that! Do you have any pointers in controlling fire?”

Inko wasn’t facing him and Izuku completely missed the hungry look that flashed on All For One’s face. “Izuku, it would my pleasure to help train you.”

xXx

Ichigo Kurosaki had lived a long time but one thing that hadn't changed was his aversion to authority. Perhaps it had something to do with putting up with his father’s antics as a teenager but Ichigo had always preferred taking matters into his own hands which was fine in normal circumstances but as a Captain in the Thirteen Court Squads he was held to a higher standard. 

It was also why Shunsui Kyoraku, Captain Commander of Soul Society was currently lecturing Ichigo’s ears off in full view of his fellow Captains.

“To make matters worse you convinced the kid to stay in the World of the Living. How will he possibly get enough training to follow Yama-jii’s footsteps now? The wielder of Ryujin Jakka belongs in our world not over there! What were you thinking?”

Ichigo wasn’t the slightest bit apologetic, “Izuku is a kid Shunsui. You might be ready to ignore his feelings but I’m not. Soul Society can wait, we’ll still be around by the time his spirit is ready to join us and that way his mother doesn’t have to bury her son next to her husband.”

Shunsui didn’t look impressed with that argument. “Did you forget how badly we need new recruits? Ever since Quirks appeared our numbers aren’t increasing; we haven’t had a Soul Reaper higher than Third Seat since the Age of Quirks began and now you let a golden opportunity slip through your fingers?

“I understand that the kid’s mother would be devastated but human lives are so short, Izuku would outlive her several times over. Better to cut his ties to the human world early.”

Ichigo couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. Was this the same man who’d risked the wrath of old man Yama at Rukia’s execution? Where was the guy who put everything on the line to stop Lille? 

“I refuse to believe that you mean that. If you do than it means that you aren’t the same man I once knew and if you try to push this and abduct Izuku than I’ll stop you. You’re focusing so much on Izuku being Yamamoto’s reincarnation that you forget that Izuku is his own person and has his own wants and dreams. I’m warning you, don’t push this; I don’t want to fight.”

Shunsui had lowered his hat so that his good eye was out of sight. “You are dismissed Captain Kurosaki. If you won’t listen to reason than go back to the World of the Living and train Izuku yourself. But if something happens to the boy and we lose this chance than you will be arrested for dereliction of duty.”

xXx

Ichigo had spent the whole day setting up a basic room at Kisuke’s seeing that his new mission would probably be a long one. He’d also gone over basic lessons to teach Izuku with Kisuke and Yoruichi, things like Spiritual Energy control and basic sword techniques. More advanced things like Flash Step could come when Izuku was a little older. 

Leaving his gigai behind, Ichigo Flash Stepped his way to Izuku’s house at roughly 9:00pm. Kurotsuchi had recently put together a sensor that monitored the Garganta and could accurately predict Hollow sightings before they appeared. It was another reason why Ichigo was angry at Shunsui, they had known a Hollow would appear near Izuku but Ichigo had been ordered to wait until Izuku was a spirit. 

That Ichigo had taken creative licence with that order by stepping in when Izuku’s soul had left his body before Izuku could die was another black mark on his record but Ichigo didn’t care. Orihime had given him her unconditional support when he’d explained himself and really that was all that mattered.

He stopped reminiscing when he found himself outside of Izuku’s bedroom window. Ichigo tapped the glass until he had Izuku’s attention and he couldn’t help but smile at the surprise on Izuku’s face. 

Once Izuku had opened the window and let him in, Ichigo pulled on a spare Soul Glove, “Okay Izuku, time for some hands-on training. Tonight it will just be you watching but it should be educational. We’re going Hollow Hunting.”

xXx

Izuku was amazed at how awesome Ichigo was. Ichigo had run into something he called and Adjuchas and used a bright light to blind the Hollow before giving Izuku a pink plushie. Apparently with a secret code word the plushie would activate something called Kido and turn Izuku invisible while also letting him float.

Ichigo had raced off to fight the Hollow and Izuku had floated through the air watching. Ichigo hadn't let the Hollow rest, using his speed to keep it off guard and Ichigo’s swords flashed in the moonlight. Ichigo was able to land cuts all over the Hollow but hadn't taken a single scratch. 

Ichigo then used that teleportation thing to appear behind the Hollow and used his bigger sword to stab through its head and out of its mask. Before Ichigo could finish it off however, the Hollow gave a horrible screech and Izuku felt a wave of spiritual power flood the air but it didn’t seem to make a difference since Ichigo ended the fight by swinging his sword up and cutting through the mask.

Ichigo teleported in front of where he’d left Izuku but blinked in surprise before holding out his hand, “Um, Izuku? Kisuke made that plushie a little too well and I can’t find you. Maybe you should just hand it too me since he didn’t tell me if there as a way to turn it off.”

Izuku laughed, Kisuke was funny like that but drifted over and gave Ichigo the plushie and becoming visible once again. Ichigo briefly turned invisible when handed the plushie but a swift cut with his sword and Izuku could see the bright orange of Ichigo’s hair once again.

Ichigo turned and gave Izuku a confident grin, “Okay, so what did you think I did wrong?”

Izuku put a hand on his chin while thinking. Well there was the fact that Ichigo had clearly not been going all out and that might allow the Hollow time to escape and hurt people and there was also the fact that all those cuts didn’t seem to do all that much and Ichigo had used up energy needlessly and there was also the fact that-

Izuku stopped his mumbling when Ichigo lightly chopped him on the head, “Geez kid relax. This ain’t an exam, stop over thinking things. Now what was one of the points you mumbled there?”

Izuku scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, “Um, well even though you cut that Hollow all over it didn’t seem to do all that much. The only real one was when you got the mask?”

Approval sparked in Ichigo’s eyes. “Good catch. Yes, the mask is a Hollow’s weak spot and fights will usually be easier if you target it right away. But, remember that Hollows also know this and will protect their masks so either use speed to get passed their guard or distract them somehow. Now what else can you think……”

Ichigo trailed off in distraction and Izuku looked in the direction Ichigo was looking. It was a man’s soul walking on the road looking awfully confused, holding his chain of fate and after a small sigh, Ichigo walked over to him.

“Hi, name’s Ichigo. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but you’re dead. Time for your soul to move on.”

The soul looked confused, “No I can’t be dead. I was just in my room reading a book when I heard a screech and all of a sudden, I’m in the street. Can you please tell me what’s going on?”

Ichigo was confused but he didn’t show it. “That must be tied to the Adjuchas I just beat. Sir, do you remember your address? Your soul may’ve just been temporarily displaced and when we find your body you’ll go right back.”

Izuku followed the pair into an apartment block, they didn’t need to use doors, being a soul was cool! When they got to the man’s room, they found his body slumped over a desk, book on the floor. Ichigo guided the soul over and told him to touch his body. The soul slipped right back into his body without difficulty and the man sat upright in his chair before Ichigo pulled out a weird thing with a bird’s head. 

There was a pop and the head came out on a spring with a puff of smoke and the man slumped back onto his desk. 

Izuku blinked, how weird was that? Ichigo turned and saw Izuku’s face, “Ah, you see this is a Memory Modifier and when I use it people forget spiritually related things and gain a new memory. I’d guess this guy will remember reading, feeling tired and falling asleep at his desk instead of being a soul. We keep things secret to protect ourselves as well as victims; other people might think they’re crazy if they start talking about Soul Reapers and ghosts.”

A sudden thought came to Izuku, “That man’s soul went right back into his body no problem. Why couldn’t I do that?”

Ichigo looked uncomfortable but moved forward and placed a hand on Izuku’s shoulder, “If your Chain of Fate hadn't been cut that might’ve been possible but when it was you officially became separate from your body. I’m sorry this had to happen to you but there’s no going back, not anymore.”

Izuku nodded and bowed his head, mind filled with strange thoughts. Did he want to go back? He had Ryujin Jakka now and his presence was like a warm glow in Izuku’s chest. He had power that others thought was his Quirk and he had Kacchan back but Izuku wanted to be a hero and it looked like he had to be a Soul Reaper instead. 

As if reading his thoughts Ichigo said, “You know Soul Reapers live for a very long time. You have time to grow and become a hero and while your human body gets too old and weak your soul will remain in it’s prime and you can become a Soul Reaper then. There’s enough Soul Reapers to manage the Balance of Souls for the moment and besides, being a hero is noble and good training for you.”

Ichigo ruffled Izuku’s hair, “Now come on, time to get you back before your mum finds out.”

That wasn’t to be however since as soon as Ichigo had Izuku in a piggy back and Flash Stepped into the air they both saw dozens of Souls wondering around.

With a soft curse that Izuku didn’t hear Ichigo took them both to the ground, “Alright, we’re gonna have to fix this before we leave. I’ll give you this Memory Modifier before I take off to Kisuke’s for a spare, I’ll be right back. If you’re too nervous to deal with the adults just talk to the kids.” 

Clutching the bird headed Modifier, Izuku looked around with a determined look. There were people who needed his help!

xXx

Shoko Todoroki was having the most wonderful dream. She’d never been allowed out of the house without supervision and now she found herself on the street outside, seeing all kinds of new things all by herself. She’d never seen a ramen stand on wheels before but now she’d seen two! To makes things even better no one looked at her, she hated when people stared, it always on her scar. But these people didn’t see her, this dream was the best!

“Hey there, do you need help?”

Shoko turned to see a boy her age with green hair and a big smile. She raised an eyebrow and the boy’s smile if possible, got even larger,

“I know you must be confused but it’s alright now because I am here!”

Shoko couldn’t help it, she put her hands over her mouth to stifle her giggles, this guy was such a fanboy! The boy looked a little put out and his smile lost a bit of shine, but he still looked determined, enough to say,

“Okay, so that might be too much like All Might but I am here to help. I bet you noticed things were a little different right? People don’t seem to notice you which is weird since we’re both kids and no matter what you say, they don’t hear you.”

Shoko nodded; it wasn’t that she couldn’t talk she just wasn’t one to talk needlessly. Some of it was her and most of it was her father’s training; unless it was related to training there was no talking in the dojo.

The boy didn’t seem to mind though, “Oh sorry, I’m Izuku Midoriya. I can fix things now; I just need to lead you back and things will back to normal.”

Shoko looked a bit uncertain when she looked at Izuku, “I’m Shoko Todoroki and I don’t want this dream to end; I like not being noticed.”

Izuku didn’t know what to say to that he was six after all but Shoko looked like she needed help. “Well it doesn’t have to end yet. Have you seen the park at night? The bulbs they put in the trees are on and it looks like fireflies.”

Shoko shook her head and using courage he never knew he had, Izuku took her hand and led her to the park. It was a good thing Izuku was so focused on helping Shoko otherwise he would’ve been too embarrassed to do anything, he still hadn't realised that he’d talked to a girl yet.

When they got there Shoko’s eyes grew wide, the park looked completely different! The trees did look like they were covered in fireflies and the pond reflected the light as well as the moon.

They sat on a bench for a moment just enjoying the moment when Shoko said, “Thank you for showing me this. I know that this dream will have to end but I’ll remember this. It’s a nice escape from my father.”

Izuku didn’t know how to handle a statement like that but he was astute enough to know that he should be careful with what he said,

“Um, it’s no problem Todoroki. I’m glad I could help.”

A small smile graced Shoko’s face, “Can we be friends? I’ve never had one before.”

Izuku blinked, he knew how that felt. Being Quirkless had meant that the other kids avoided him and he had to sit and eat his lunch alone. 

“Of course we can be friends, I’ll have to find you when we wake up. What school do you go to?”

Shoko lowered her face so her bangs hid her eyes, “Kaisei Academy, my father is rich and wants me to get the best education so I don’t think we can meet there, unless you go there to?”

Izuku shook his head sadly, “I go to my local primary school, Orange Star. We could meet at the park again?”

Shoko shook her head, hope at finding a friend fading into disappointment, “I’m not allowed outside by myself. I don’t think we can meet, maybe we can’t be friends.”

Izuku couldn’t let that happen. Sure he had Kacchan again but Izuku knew how bad it was being excluded at lunch and being last to be picked for anything in class. Shoko needed a friend and besides, Kacchan was still a bit too energetic for Izuku.

“Well, I can’t think of anything, but I’ll still be your friend! Don’t forget that, hey I know!”

Izuku got an excited look on his face and he got off the bench and faced Shoko directly, “We can go to UA High School! Yeah high school is super far away but at UA it wont matter if your dad is rich or not, it’s open to anyone who’s good enough. Yeah! Let’s promise to meet at UA and be friends there!”

Shoko look so hopeful it made Izuku lift his hands in the air, the gesture making Shoko laugh, “Okay, we’ll both go to UA High. It’s a promise!”

And with that they linked their pinkie fingers and both knew how important a pinkie promise was. Shoko was happy, she couldn’t remember the last time she had been. It was definitely before her mum burned her face but that had happened last year but now, now she had a friend, someone who didn’t look at her with pity like her siblings or fear like her mum. This was something she just had to remember!

It was at that moment that Ichigo chose to make his move. He’d already dealt with the other wayward souls and tracked down Izuku. Ichigo could see the signs of abuse on the girl, the way she closed herself off and her constant referral to how her father didn’t let her do things but he had responsibilities to Izuku. That was why he’d let them have so much time in the park, the girl needed a break and Izuku could always be counted on to help. 

It was with a heavy heart that he modified the girl’s memory but that was the job and it wasn’t like it couldn’t be over ridden. Both Orihime and Chad had broken Rukia’s modifications on them and the girl might be an exception. 

Izuku gave a shocked gasp, “Wait what are you doing?! Shoko didn’t know anything; I didn’t mention spirits or anything! She thought this was all a dream and just wanted a friend! Now you’ve made her forget all this!?”

Ichigo grimaced, “I’m sorry Izuku but it’s the rules. If it helps, people can still remember things if they’re determined enough, it’s not always permanent.”

Izuku wasn’t happy but he just wasn’t confrontational enough to explode at Ichigo more than once; instead Izuku adopted a sullen look and refused to speak to Ichigo.

Ichigo knew that Izuku would be angry but didn’t let that sway his decisions. Ichigo was no longer the rash teenager who challenged all of Soul Society to save his friend, he had grown up and with that came the burden of responsibility. Ichigo couldn’t blame Izuku for being angry, Ichigo himself would’ve hated seeing a friend lose their memories; he’d give the boy some space for a few days to let him cool off.

xXx

Morning sunlight filtered through Shoko’s window, rousing her from the depths of sleep. As she yawned, she tried to remember her dream. She couldn’t quite get the details, but it had made her happy.

_‘Hmm, it was something to do with friends?’_

She racked her brains but only one thing came to mind, “Izuku.”

Just saying the name made her smile but who on Earth was Izuku and was he her friend? How could she find this mystery person from her dreams?


	3. Chapter 3

Yoruichi Shihoin loved playing pranks on people. It stemmed from a stuffy childhood, one where she always had to act as told, be polite all the time and basically never have fun. Honestly, nobility in Soul Society wasn’t all it was cracked up to be, the only good thing about it was once she was made Captain of Squad Two and the family suddenly realised that she couldn’t be controlled anymore.

Her latest act of mischief making had led Yoruichi, in cat form, to one of Kisuke’s spare rooms where Izuku Midoriya was sitting at a table muttering over a notebook.

She slowly slunk into the room managing to avoid notice with Izuku’s mutterings idly filtering into her mind,

“If Flash Step needs you to compress energy into your feet and then releasing it, what would happen if I compressed energy into one foot? Would the Flash Step be the same speed or would it be slower? What if I alternated feet and keep up a constant stream of compression?”

Yoruichi was interested in spite of herself. She was the Goddess of Flash and here was the subject of all the latest intrigue looking at ways to improve his Flash Step. She jumped onto the table and settled down near his free hand, Izuku absentmindedly stroking her fur still in thought.

Yoruichi mentally smirked, it was time to prank!

“You know, you don’t _have _to send the energy to your feet for Flash Step. If you use your wrists you can increase your speed without making it too complicated and also gives you more manoeuvrability while Flash Stepping and if you use both feet and wrists than you become even faster.”

Izuku stopped stroking her fur and he looked at what he thought was an ordinary cat.

_‘Here it comes,’_

Izuku blinked before he grinned, “That’s an interesting point and Kisuke did say Soul Reaper’s have vents in their wrists to release Spiritual Energy. Maybe that would help make me faster while not wasting energy!”

Izuku stopped his mumbling and looked at the cat, “Well not really. Quirks are so weird these days, did you know the principal of UA High School is a short guy that looks kinda like a dog or small bear. For all I know, you could be the same.”

Izuku chuckled as the cat scrunched up its face, before turning back to his notebook. For her part Yoruichi was mildly annoyed. This kid was supposed to be getting pranked and he’d turned it back on her without any effort! There was only one option left if she wanted to win here today.

Without further ado she turned back into her human form, right on the table in front of Izuku. Izuku yelped and scooted his chair backwards slightly. Yoruichi grinned victoriously as she saw the boy’s face grow red and his hands flew up to his face when he saw her ‘natural’ beauty.

She started rolling on the table laughing when Izuku fell off his chair before she felt something land on top of her, judging by the feel of it, it was a rug covering her nakedness.

“Oi crazy cat lady, stop corrupting Izuku!”

Yoruichi rolled onto her belly and looked up to see Ichigo, “Aw come on Ichigo, where’s your sense of humour? I remember you enjoying it when I did it to you. Did you ever tell Orihime that she wasn’t the first naked women you’d seen in person?”

Ichigo frowned, “I remember freaking out over how crazy you were and if you want to go down that road than I’ll just have to tell Kukaku all about that party that happened twenty years ago.”

Yoruichi shuddered, the last thing she needed was Kukaku to find out just how much of a fool she’d been at that party. Yoruichi scowled, “Alright sheesh, calm down. No need to be a wet blanket. What brings you here anyway?”

Ichigo smirked, he’d gotten better at handling the wild woman over the years. “I was thinking of having a little spar with Izuku. Don’t worry, I’ll take it easy but I’ve always found it better to learn by doing rather than sitting in a lecture.”

Yoruichi took on a surprisingly serious face, “Just make sure to be careful, he’s eight not fifteen like you were when you started training to be a Soul Reaper.”

xXx

Izuku wasn’t sure what he was doing wrong, he was pushing out Spiritual Energy out through his wrists as well as from his feet trying to improve his Flash Step but it wasn’t working. He’d have liked to sit down with his notebook and analyse what he was doing to and try to figure what he was doing wrong but Ichigo wasn’t giving him a moments rest.

“C’mon Izuku, show me how fast you are! I know you have more Spiritual Energy than what you’ve shown me.”

Izuku grit his teeth and pumped more energy into his feet and wrists trying to Flash Step behind Ichigo and tag him but Ichigo saw it coming and dodged away.

“Come on kid, push yourself harder or you’ll never be the number one hero!”

Instead of driving Izuku past his limits, it had the opposite effect with Izuku adopting a frustrated face with angry tears filling his eyes.

Yoruichi swooped in and chopped Ichigo on the head, “Shut up idiot! Not all of us are freaks who learn instinctively in the middle of fights like you! Go stand over there, I’m taking over. I’d have been here earlier but Kisuke moved my closest.”

An annoyed but humbled Ichigo shuffled over to the side and Yoruichi sat down in front of Izuku,

“Okay kid listen up. I noticed you trying to out what I suggested earlier but it won’t work if you divide up the normal amount of energy you use for a Flash Step. If you want to speed up your Flash Step using your wrist vents you have to use the same amount of energy you use in your feet in your wrists as well, so basically, you have to use double the amount of energy, got it?”

Yoruichi gave Izuku an encouraging grin and ruffled his hair, “Now let’s try it out again huh?”

Izuku wiped his face with his sleeve and nodded with determination. Now that he had some solid data on what he was doing wrong it was a simple matter of trial and error.

With his next attempt, Izuku misjudged the amount of energy he needed, over loading his Flash Step and making him fly into the air as his body couldn’t use the excess energy properly. Yoruichi suppressed her impulse to laugh, Izuku was different to Ichigo in almost every way.

Ichigo would get angry at mockery and it would push him to get things correct at a ridiculous rate. Yoruichi suspected that Izuku had a past filled with bullying and Izuku responded far better to positive reinforcement and clear feedback.

“You used too much energy that time Izuku. Why don’t you try to use your normal Flash Step and before you move, make a mental note about how much energy you use. That should give you an idea about how much more you need to direct to your wrists.”

It took two more attempts but soon Izuku was zipping around at speeds usually only seen in the upper echelons of Soul Reaper squads. Yoruichi was thrilled, no one had ever really taken to Flash Step as well as her not even Byakuya but Izuku seemed to have a natural talent for it. Maybe she’d found her successor and the next God of Flash!

“Good job Izuku! There’s another step or two before you take my title but there’s plenty of time for that. Now, want to learn a new way for Soul Reapers to fight?”

Izuku was more than ready to learn from Yoruichi, she was a way better teacher than Ichigo! “Yeah let’s do this!”

“Alright! Now I’m going to teach you Hakuda, the Soul Reaper martial art. It’s different to human styles because fighters use Spiritual Energy to charge their bodies and make their strikes faster and harder.”

Izuku was so excited he missed the sinister gleam in Yoruichi’s eyes. While she liked finding a natural talent with Flash Step she was a real task master when it came to Hakuda; poor Izuku was about to realise that.

xXx

_‘American hospitals are so quaint,’ _Aizen thought idly flicking through a book while sitting next to the only other occupant in the room. They lay on the bed comatose with the only sound coming from the life support system. Truthfully, Aizen would’ve preferred stationing his partner in Japan but with all the focus on Izuku by Soul Society, Aizen couldn’t risk them finding even a trace of his partner’s Spiritual Energy.

Aizen smirked down at his comatose partner, “It’s only a matter of time before I can revive you. All For One was everything I pictured him to be which made it easier to manipulate him. Just rest a little longer, soon you’ll be looking over the three worlds like you originally planned.”

Yes, All For One had easily picked up on Aizen’s subtle evasions about Izuku’s importance which only fuelled his suspicions that Izuku was more important to Aizen’s plan than he really was.

All For One seemed to think Izuku was as important as a Queen on Aizen’s chessboard when really he was a more of a Rook. Izuku was strong but unyielding, he wouldn’t be joining Aizen’s side unless something truly drastic happened.

No Izuku was important because he attracted Soul Society’s attention, not to mention taking All For One’s attention off of the truly important piece he had under his control, one that Aizen needed to complete his master plan.

Aizen looked back on the face of the person on the bed, their orange hair shining in the sunlight.

_‘Soon, your new host body will be ready and I can install a new Soul King, one that I control!’_

xXx

Izuku concentrated on the flame in his hands, feeding it more energy while trying to keep it small and contained. He continued his efforts as All For One said,

“Remember Izuku, fire is dangerous, it can rampage out of control and only using your power can you handle it. You might be able to generate intense heat and fire but never let it rule you, you are the one in control.”

All For One didn’t realise that Ryujin Jakka also played a major part there but strangely enough, Ryujin Jakka appreciated those words. Only by being strong enough to stand by his side and be unburned would Izuku have enough power to unlock Bankai. Izuku’s soul needed to be strong enough to walk on the sun so that he could wield the greatest heat Soul Society had ever seen.

While Izuku focused on adding more and more heat to his small flame, All For One decided it was time to work on Izuku’s mindset,

“Izuku, what do you think is the most important thing a hero should have?”

The flame in Izuku’s hand flickered out as he lost his concentration, “I think the most important thing a hero should have is um, to be able to save people and make them feel safe. Like All Might, he saves people with a smile on his face, when people see his smile they know everything will be okay.”

All For One rubbed his chin in thought, “That’s quite noble of you Izuku. I know a lot of kids would say things like being the strongest or the most popular and some kids might say being rich but you think heroes should only care about saving and helping others. You’re a good kid Izuku.

“I only asked you because there is plenty of heroes out there that aren’t as good as you for example, that new rookie Uwabami seems more concerned with her new TV show and her looks rather than helping others.”

All For One adopted a frustrated expression, “It just annoys me when these people call themselves heroes but don’t act like it. It’s almost like once being a hero became a job, people stopped holding heroes to the standards they should be kept at.”

Izuku saw his grandpa’s face and thought about what he’d just heard. It was true, while All Might was a real hero there was a lot of heroes like Uwabami. It was something that Izuku hadn't really thought about before but the more he thought about it the more it annoyed Izuku. Those heroes should be better, being a hero was the best and it seemed like they didn’t care.

That made Izuku all the more determined, he looked at All For One with a serious face, “I’ve decided Grandpa, I want to be a hero, not just like All Might but to be such a good hero that the other heroes would either have to step up their game or retire!”

All For One rubbed Izuku’s head fondly, “That’s going to be difficult Izuku but I believe you can do it.”

All For One motioned for Izuku to resume his fire training, it was all coming together now.

_‘Yes, now I’ve planted the seeds. Make Izuku begin to doubt the standards of heroes; let him naturally come to the conclusion that things have to change. If I can engineer a situation where a hero fails and its captured on TV than I can use that to sub-consciously influence him that heroes aren’t all they’re cracked up to be._

_‘Aizen is clearly setting up something big concerning this Soul Society and I need a weapon capable of fighting that side of things.’_

xXx

Shoko Todoroki rarely got the chance to talk to her older sister; her father always tried to keep Shoko separate from her siblings but Shoko always treasured the moments she got with them, especially Fuyumi. Now that mum was gone, Fuyumi was the only other girl in the house and aside from her teachers at school, Fuyumi was the only female role model in Shoko’s life.

Today was a rare day off for Shoko, Endeavour had been called to help evacuate civilians from an earthquake several miles away and would be kept busy for the rest of the day. Shoko intended to use her time wisely and try get to the bottom of her latest problem.

Shoko knocked on her sister’s bedroom door, “Fuyumi, can we talk for a bit?”

The door opened, “Of course Shoko, come in.”

Shoko sat on Fuyumi’s bed and fidgeted, she was never one for small talk and she wasn’t sure how to start. For her part, Fuyumi merely smiled softly, her sister so rarely reached out and Fuyumi was determined to make the most of this.

Fuyumi said down next to Shoko, “So what can I do for you?”

Shoko dithered for a little bit before she said, “Can, can you dream of people you’ve never met?”

Fuyumi blinked, that was out of the blue, “I’m not sure. Why do you ask?”

“Sometimes I dream about someone called Izuku. I never see his face but I know he has green hair. All I know is I don’t think I’ve ever seen this person, so why am I dreaming about them?”

Fuyumi didn’t really have an answer, “That’s interesting, maybe you did meet this Izuku but forgot about it. Maybe he’s a student at school or even someone you passed on the street. How do you react when you see Izuku?”

Shoko shrugged, “I don’t know. Sometimes it’s good to see him and sometimes I feel sad for some reason. I just wish I knew why.”

Fuyumi slung an arm around her little sister, “I guess it’s something you may never figure out but I hope you do. Now how have you been?”

Shoko tensed slightly under Fuyumi’s arm. Shoko knew that her father was harsh, that her training was more intense than it should be but she just couldn’t tell Fuyumi the truth.

Fuyumi only had a small idea about how rough training was and Shoko didn’t want her sister to look at her the same way Natsuo did; Shoko might not know the word pity or its definition but she was all too familiar with how it looked in people’s eyes. It was a look she detested; she was stronger than people seemed to think.

Natsuo treated Shoko like she was one of mum’s china cups but he didn’t need to. Shoko had thought about not becoming a hero just to spite Endeavour but something in the back of her mind made the thought of going to UA High appealing but if she did go there then she would use only her mum’s Quirk.

“I’ve been good sis; school is okay and I’m still getting the top scores.”

Above Shoko’s sight line Fuyumi’s face was downcast; Shoko hadn't let her in this time. Fuyumi knew just how hard her father was pushing Shoko and desperately wanted Shoko to let her in. 

Enji Todoroki was a lousy father but the pro hero Endeavour had a lot of contacts in the government which meant that spilling the beans on the abuse wasn’t going to work but all Fuyumi wanted at the moment was to be the big sister Shoko could depend on.

Both girls looked up as a knock sounded on Fuyumi’s door, “Hey you two, you should know that the front gate just opened. Father’s back and you know that he doesn’t like you two talking.”

Fuyumi got to her feet and left the room. Greeting her father after he had finished work was a tradition and Endeavor never did like changes to his plans.

Natsuo looked through the now open doorway at Shoko looking apologetic, “Sorry Shoko, I know you like spending time with Fuyumi.”

Natsuo trailed off uncertainly, he looked like he wanted to say more but wasn’t sure how to proceed. Shoko got off Fuyumi’s bed,

“It’s okay. You had to; we both know how father will react if he knew I’d spent time ‘acting girly’. I better get back to the training room.”

Shoko walked past her older brother, initially planning on just walking by but she looked up at Natsuo’s face. He looked so… sad, not at all with the look that Shoko hated. She didn’t know why Natsuo looked so sad but Shoko raised a hand and pat Natsuo on the arm,

“Thanks, big brother.”

Shoko continued walking to the training room, completely missing the megawatt smile now sporting Natsuo’s face.

Natsuo wasn’t sure why Shoko kept him at arm’s length but he loved his baby sister and getting that brief acknowledgement truly made his day. Natsuo had been there when Toya was being put through his paces, the day Toya had run away.

Natsuo knew all about how tough his father pushed Toya and by extension Shoko.

Fuyumi’s Quirk was far too weak to be of any use, she hadn't really been put through Endeavor’s paces despite Fuyumi saying that she knew how rough it was; she hadn't seen what he’d seen that day with Toya. Natsuo was determined to help Shoko, he couldn’t lose his baby sister, Natsuo just wasn’t sure what he could do when the obstacle in his way was his father.

xXx

Rukia had lived long enough to know that Ichigo wasn’t going to back down and that the commander’s vague plan was only going to antagonise Ichigo’s relationship with Soul Society. After two centuries of relative peace, once again Rukia could almost feel her loyalties tearing her apart.

Rukia was the captain of Squad Thirteen and knew she had a responsibility to maintain the balance of souls and to her underlings but could Rukia really stand by as her commander put together a plan for Squad Two to assassinate a young boy? It was clear that something had changed; whether it was her Commander or something else but whatever it was their leader was stressed.

She knew all about the declining rate for Soul Reapers to appear and while it scared Rukia to think their way of life was coming under threat was this really the answer? Yamamoto was a terrifying force and if Izuku Midoriya had even a tenth of Yamamoto’s old strength he would be a strongest Soul Reaper born since Quirks appeared.

Rukia didn’t know why Kyoraku had taken such an extreme interest in Izuku, not even him being the reincarnation of Yamamoto could explain it, no something else was happening behind the scenes. Something that had her normally cheerful Commander up tight and scared.

The Rukia of old would’ve already left to go warn Ichigo but Rukia had a family now. Her daughter was training under her secret crush in Squad Ten and Renji stood steadfast behind his captain. Was her friendship to Ichigo worth more than more than her husband and daughter?

_‘Is Ichigo confusing Izuku with Kazui? It’s possible and if it’s the case than Ichigo will die before letting Izuku die especially since he wasn’t there to save Kazui from that Hollow. How do I convince the Commander that this is folly and will only make Ichigo our enemy?’ _


	4. Chapter 4

Katsuki Bakugo blinked as he looked at the sky, the spot where Izuku had just sent a blast of red fire.

He looked over at Izuku with a slight glare, "The hell was that!? Shouting some number like a cosplayer nerd!?"

Izuku rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Sorry Kacchan but it's something I've been working on. You know how when I unleash my full fire the area generally burns? Well I didn't like that so decided to make some new moves. They let me use attacks that won't crisp everything up. I used Hado Thirty One: Red Fire Cannon."

Katsuki walked over to Izuku's side, "Thirty one? So you have thirty other attacks like that?"

Katsuki knew Izuku had power but that he had difficulty controlling it. If he was taking steps to improve than it was only going to make Katsuki more determined to get stronger; he was going to be number one not Izuku!

Izuku smiled in a slightly shifty way, "Oh no, I guess I just picked Thirty One cause I liked the way it sounded? Thirty one is the weakest one I have; I also have Thirty Two: Yellow Fire Flash and Thirty Three: Blue Fire Crash Down. They go up in power and heat which reflects in their colour."

Katsuki smirked, "Oh so you have stronger attacks?! Show me!" Katsuki looked around the park they were in, "Hit that tree over there!"

"But Kacchan, we could get in trouble!"

"I don't care, if it makes a difference I won't ask again. I just want to see Thirty Three, is it your strongest one?"

Izuku had that look on his face when he knew something was a bad idea but also knew it was pointless arguing, "Okay but you have to promise you won't ask again okay?"

Katsuki blinked, "Yep you got it."

Izuku didn't look very reassured but he looked at the tree. He raised his right palm and said, "Hado Thirty Three: Blue Fire Crash Down!"

The air got warm as flames burning blue flew out of Izuku's hand and engulfed the tree. A second later the tree was gone, the ground around it scorched black. Katsuki was impressed, normally when Izuku tried using his flames he had to use his sword and the flames would be way larger. This was more focused and would be more useful in a fight.

"Hey!"

A women's angry shout got both boys attention, they turned their heads to see a lady with blue hair and antlers storming towards them, "You two stay right there! You're both in big trouble and I'm calling the police!"

Katsuki was tempted to make a break for it but one look at Izuku made him groan. Izuku was too nice and followed the rules way too much. It looked like they were in for it now, Katsuki just hoped his mum wouldn't get too mad.

xXx

"Thank you for bringing them here officer, don't worry I'll make sure to discipline them. And thanks again for not being too harsh on them."

All For One gave his best reassuring smile, it was lucky Izuku had told the police officer to bring them both to Tohdoh Midoriya's house. All For One had been able to use his compulsion Quirk to make the officer become far more lenient than he was originally going to be.

The officer laughed, "It's no bother. Boys will be boys after all but I have to stress that experimenting with your Quirks should be at home and not in public."

As All For One closed the door he was thinking about this latest development. The Izuku he met four years ago would've never dreamed of using his Quirk in public; it was against the law and in his eyes only villains broke the law. Perhaps the talk about the subpar standards for heroes had had more of an effect on Izuku than All For One had initially planned?

All For One made his way through Tohdoh Midoriya's hallway to the living room where two boys sat on the couch, one looking remorseful and the other defiant.

All For One hummed in thought, "Alright Izuku, what's your side of the story?"

Izuku looked at his hands as he said, "Well Kacchan just wanted to see some of the new moves I, uh, thought up. It kinda got out of hand but nobody got hurt!"

All For One chuckled, "Well Bakugo, why did you insist on this? You both know using your Quirk in public is against the law."

Katsuki scoffed, "It's not like anything bad happened. So we blew up a tree, so what?" Katsuki grew a slightly abashed look, "But sorry for getting you in trouble Deku."

All For One frowned, "Deku? I thought you two were friends again?"

Katsuki looked off to the side, "Well I started calling him that when everyone thought he was Quirkless. I was going to stop calling him that but Izuku said he didn't mind."

All For One turned his head to look at Izuku questioningly. Izuku looked a bit put on the spot but said, "Well my friend Yoruichi said that I shouldn't think of Deku as a negative but use it as motivation. Show everyone that I'm not useless and help show other people who get called that, that they can do it!"

All For One smiled as a grandfather should, "That's an excellent mindset my boy but who is Yoruichi? I thought Bakugo was your only school friend?"

Izuku scratched the back of his head, "Hehe um well she's someone who works in a shop and had some good tips about how to control my Quirk. The shop owner, Kisuke Urahara actually gave me the idea to uh, make my moves smaller and more precise while suggesting I name them Hado's."

All For One carefully kept his face as one showing slight curiosity but mentally he was celebrating. Aizen had told him all about Urahara and his intellect. In a way, All For One had Urahara to thank for his newest set of powers.

Adopting a thoughtful look All For One said, "Izuku, could you tell me this shop's address? I'd like to meet these friends of yours who sound like nice people."

Izuku's face brightened when he realised that he wasn't going to get in trouble for keeping secrets. "Sure thing Gramps! I bet you'd get along great with Kisuke!"

All For One allowed himself a genuine grin. He'd heard enough about Urahara to know that he couldn't manipulate him but perhaps if he laid some bread crumbs Urahara would realise that All For One had been contacted by Aizen. It never hurt to have contingencies and having the man Aizen admitted to being his intellectual superior watching his back could be an unexpected boon.

xXx

"Deku, your grandpa is kinda weird."

The boys were walking home and Izuku looked at Katsuki, "What do you mean?"

"Well he just seems kinda weird that's all. He kinda looks like that tiger at the zoo, remember? The one the keeper said was captured a week ago. Your grandpa sometimes has the same look in his eye's as that tiger."

Izuku laughed but there was a touch of concern in it. "I think you're seeing things Kacchan. I mean I guess he can kinda look a bit, uh intense but it's not like he's some animal looking for prey."

Katsuki shrugged, "Whatever, I know what I saw. I'm just saying keep an eye on him will ya?"

Neither boy realised that by using an enhanced hearing Quirk All For One had taken that he was privy to Katsuki's concerns.

xXx

All Might slammed his fist down on Sir Nighteye's desk, "What do you mean the trails gone cold!? Your sources all verified the reports we got from the leak in the Taxation Office! We were finally closing in on All For One and now you say it's as if he's vanished?!"

Nighteye pushed his glasses up his nose, "It's as I said, he stopped using the accounts linked to the leak. Since All For One keeps everything hush hush we merely lucked our way into that information. Without continued use of the accounts we can't trace where the money goes and just like that our only lead is dead."

All Might started pacing around the office, it was either that or punch the desk again. "But now we know he uses those accounts right? So why can't we just go to the address listed for the account holder?"

Nighteye supressed his urge to sigh. He couldn't blame his mentor getting this wound up; All For One was responsible for Nana Shimura's death.

"It's not that simple. The account holder is most likely one of his underlings who, under instruction from All For One himself, would most likely have a squeaky clean record. We'd have no hope of obtaining a warrant for the holder's arrest, especially on the word of informants who are likely expendable.

"If we act on this information now we risk revealing our sources as well as the leak at the Tax Office. All For One has made a small error and not seen how risky it really is. Our best course of action is to wait. Once he uses the account again we can trace were the money goes and if it proves to be for criminal purposes we'll get our warrant and most likely All For One's location."

All Might growled, "You expect me to just sit and twiddle my thumbs while Nana's killer is out there causing more pain and death every second?!"

Nighteye got to his feet, "If you act now you risk All For One slipping away for god knows how long. Yes waiting now means he gets to spread more crime but we know he will eventually use his assets again. However if you act rashly and let him slip away than all the pain and misery he spreads afterwards will be on your head!

"If Nana meant that much to you than you need to hold onto that anger and wait. Stop acting like a rebellious teenager and more like the number one hero!"

All Might grit his teeth but was forced to see the big picture. He wanted nothing more than to bring Nana's murderer to justice and have All For One rot in jail and the best way to do that was listening to his level headed sidekick.

_'Just you wait All For One! The pain you caused me is going to be returned a hundred fold!'_

xXx

Hana Takeshi could do nothing but stare up at the ceiling in horror. She had no idea what was happening, all she knew was that she had woken on a table in a room that could be any office in the city, unable to move. She wasn't restrained in anyway as far as she could tell but some kind of force was pressing her into the table unable to move a muscle, not even her eyes.

"Ah sorry to keep you waiting Miss Takeshi."

Hana would've shivered at how cold the voice was but even that was beyond her. A man's hand entered her vision and slow descended until it rested on her forehead.

"I apologise in advance for this but from what Kurogiri tells me you're perfect for this little plan of mine. I just have to persuade to my way of thinking."

The ceiling faded away and Hana could see her memories; the kids in the playground making fun of her when her Quirk had manifested. Hana hadn't been prepared for Alligator Body to come in but when it did her body swelled in size her clothes tearing slightly and her smooth skin turned into ugly green bumps.

Hana was relentlessly picked on for having a Quirk that looked like a villain's and none of the nicer kids wanted to be subjected to the same treatment so left her all alone. Hana might've been able to handle it if her Quirk was strong but it didn't give her enhanced strength or biting power, no all it did was make her ugly and the other kids never let her forget it.

The voice came back, "Yes, I can feel all that pent up rage; you shouldn't keep it bottled up you know? It's bad for you."

This time the voice wasn't as cold, Hana could say it almost sounded apologetic, "People often forget just how cruel kids can be. Don't you want other people to see what you went through? To feel your pain, to walk in your shoes?"

Hana couldn't speak but a very large part of her agreed. She almost would've preferred to be Quirkless, at least then she'd still have her looks.

"The world is blind to your injustice but I'm not. I'll give you the opportunity to help other people in your position, all I need is for you to say yes."

The last memory she saw before they faded was of her high school boyfriend dumping her in the front of the whole school telling her that he'd only gotten close to her so that he could lose his virginity.

Rage flared in Hana's mind and she clenched her fists so hard her Alligator nails drew blood from her palms,

"Yes!"

xXx

Ichigo looked up as a shellshocked Rukia entered his room at Urahara's shop.

"Rukia? What are you doing here?"

Rukia sat down shakily, "Ichigo, the Captain Commander just informed me why Izuku Midoriya is so important. Once you hear this you might change your mind about him living his life as a human."

The smile that had begun to form on Ichigo's face at the sight of his friend faded into his customary scowl, "Look, I don't have time to listen to Shunsui's arguments right no-,"

"Ichigo listen to me!"

Ichigo blinked in shock; it had been a long time since Rukia had last used that tone with him. Rukia took a calming breath,

"There is so much more to this than you know. The Commander doesn't just want to train Yamamoto's reincarnation, he wants to protect everyone."

"Doesn't he already? It is the job after all."

Rukia ran a hand over her face, "After you killed Ywach, Commander Kyoraku and Zero Squad leader Hyosube installed Ywach's corpse as the new Soul King. It worked but it wasn't perfect. Too much Spiritual Energy was released into the world and that's why Quirks appeared.

"The bad news is that the barriers between worlds is starting to erode and only the Soul King can repair the damage but since the King is a dead body it can't do anything.

"We need a new Soul King; a living soul and precious few are eligible for the position. As it turns out, Yamamoto Genryusai was distantly related to the Soul King and by extension that includes Izuku Midoriya. We need a new King and soon, otherwise the worlds will bleed together and cause the extinction of, well everyone."

Ichigo slammed his fist on the table he was sitting at, "Alright I can admit this is serious but how long do we have before things get critical?"

Rukia sighed, she knew this was hard for Ichigo to hear but it was necessary. "Captain Kurotsuchi calculated the absolute latest we can leave it is seven years. Once he was informed, Urahara conducted a separate investigation but got the same result. That's why the Commander was so adamant about having Izuku come to Soul Society. Asking a boy to essentially imprison himself up there for the sake of everyone else is a big pill to swallow and the Commander wanted the time to convince Izuku that it was the right thing to do as well as train the boy."

Ichigo laughed but it held no mirth, "That wouldn't be the problem. Izuku's a good kid, all he wants is to help people and be a hero; he'd do it in a heartbeat. Is there truly no one else available? What are the criteria?"

Rukia grimaced, "You have to have noble blood from one of Soul Society's clans but more than that you need a moral soul. There is also a minimum threshold of Spiritual Power needed so those two conditions basically rule out all of the nobility in Soul Society.

"Central Forty Six forbid the Commander from volunteering, they don't want to weaken the Thirteen Squads too much. They heard about Grimmjow unlocking his Second Release and keeping Soul Society in fighting shape against a threat like that is important.

"Nii-sama volunteered but the Central Forty Six ruled that he was too old. The ruling council didn't want to put someone in as king only to have to replace them in four hundred years or so. Not to mention their reasoning about keeping our military strength up."

Rukia averted her eye's from Ichigo's, "Once I was filled in on everything I also offered in spite of my brother's protests but Central Forty Six were very quick to remind me that although my name is Kuchiki, I am not of noble blood; a Rukongai rat isn't eligible."

Ichigo was having a hard time keeping still; the Central Forty Six where even to this day the single biggest thorn in Ichigo's side. He started pacing around the room, "What about me? I'm part Shiba right?"

Rukia shook her head, "You have Hollow and Quincy DNA so you can't."

Ichigo punched the wall, god life was unfair sometimes. "What if Byakuya took over for a century? Let Izuku live out his life peacefully before we go to him and tell him he has to save reality?"

Rukia looked thoughtful at that, "I'll bring this up with the Captain Commander at once. There's a chance the council will go for it but,"

Rukia looked at Ichigo with an expression that mixed compassion and resignation, "If they say no than I should tell you that assassin's will probably be dispatched."

Ichigo turned his back on his friend, he didn't want her to see the pain on his face, "No, if they say no than I should be the one to tell all this to Izuku."

xXx

Taneo Tokuda almost couldn't believe his eyes. It looked a lady with an Alligator mutation Quirk's simple plan to rob a grocery store had turned into a tense hostage situation. The situation was dire but Taneo kept his camera focused on the action, his reporter's instincts kicking in.

The crowd on the street all started mumbling and Taneo turned his gaze to see that the new rookie Uwabami had turned up to resolve the situation. She gave a dazzling smile to the camera and said,

"Fear not, the villain will fall to justice because justice is… beautiful!"

The crowd ate up her words but Taneo wasn't convinced. Uwabami's Quirk was more useful in search and rescue operations not fighting. He knew she had to have some proficiency in hand to hand combat, she did graduate from UA but she was still mostly untested in the field.

Evidently the villain could see the writing on the wall and she shouted, "Alright, I know I can't take on a hero so I have just one demand before I give myself up. Uwabami, you think you're so awesome just because you were born with good looks? Look at me, I'm hideous."

The villain stepped a little closer to the window and Taneo could now clearly see the criminal. Her skin was dark green and mottled just like an alligator but her most distinctive feature was her face. Her jaw elongated outwards, not terribly long but enough to remind you of a snout and large incisors that couldn't be contained in her mouth were visible. She gnashed her teeth before speaking again,

"I want everyone to see that you're not as beautiful as you seem. Shave your head and show the world how ugly you are and I'll let everyone here go. Perhaps you'll get ridiculed and bullied just like I was!"

The crowd all turned to see what Uwabami's response would be. Taneo could see shock give way to smug superiority.

Schooling her features into a considerate state Uwabami said, "I see your point but heroes never negotiate with villains! If we did than every villain would do so and chaos would reign supreme. Now, why don't you just surrender?"

The villain scoffed, "I'm not asking for anything outrageous! I don't want people released from jail or mountains of money; all I want is you embarrassed. I used to be normal before my Quirk manifested. People said I looked like a villain, no one wanted to be my friend. I've seen you on TV, flaunting your body and looks all for money and fame. I just want a small piece of revenge on you for society's views on beauty."

Taneo could almost feel the people around him consider the villains words. Truly, the demand was reasonable and it wasn't like people would suddenly turn on Uwabami just for having a shaved head. No it was far more likely she would be praised for it; why wasn't she just shaving her head and being the hero she said she was?

It was almost as if Uwabami could feel the crowd turning on her and instead of handling it like a pro; she got annoyed,

"Even if I shaved my head I'd still be more beautiful than you Scaley!"

Taneo had seen enough in his career to tell when a situation got out of hand and that this situation had gone from bad to worse. If he were a betting man Taneo would say that Scaley was a term that had been used a lot to torment the villain in the past.

His thoughts proved to be right on the money as the villain got enraged, "Scaley?! Fine, these deaths are on your head!"

The criminal grabbed a boy with green hair and pulled out a knife. She made to stab the boy in the chest but an old man threw himself in the blade's path. The boy cried out in horror and clutched the man in desperation. Uwabami leapt into action, crashing through the glass window and punching the villain in the face.

Taneo kept his camera on the action but his gaze was drawn to the boy who had tears flowing down his face as he cried out for his gramps to hold on. His ability to lip read let Taneo know that the old man said that he was proud of the kid and Taneo tore his eyes away from the man's last moments; it felt like he was intruding on an intensely personal moment.

xXx

The world had faded away for Izuku, all of his attention was on his grandpa who lay dying in his arms.

"It's okay gramps, just hold on!"

Tohdoh Midoriya gasped in pain, "I'm proud of you Izuku." He coughed and bloody mist filled the air, "Remember to keep your promise."

Izuku was momentarily stumped, what promise? But he soon remembered, he was going to be the number one hero and show people how heroes should be.

Izuku gave a weak smile tears still streaking down his face, "I will gramps, don't you worry."

The light left his Gramps's eyes and grief filled Izuku's heart. This couldn't be happening, things like this happened to other people not him! Not his grandpa, not after losing his dad. Sob's shook his body and if Izuku had been paying attention he would've noticed that no soul rose up from Tohdoh Midoriya's body but as it was all Izuku could think was that his Gramps was dead.

A hand on his shoulder made Izuku look up and he saw Uwabami giving him a reassuring smile,

"I'm sorry young man. Are you hurt? Are you okay?"

An uncharacteristic rage took hold of Izuku. The surrounding air grew extremely hot and flames slowly came to life over his skin. Utter loathing filled Izuku's eyes as he looked at Uwabami,

"My Grandpa is dead because you care more about your looks than doing the right thing! You're not a hero and you never will be!"

Even though Izuku wanted to lash out at the women responsible for his Gramps's death there was still enough of him left that he didn't. Instead he hugged Tohdoh's lifeless hand to his chest and ignored the world.

_'Just you watch Gramps; I'm going to be the number one and make heroes act the way they should!'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So what did you think? I know the reasoning with the Uwabami stuff seems kinda dumb but that is the entire point! She was given a ridiculous demand, one that had no downside whatsoever and instead of doing the right thing she acted selfishly.
> 
> Things are moving and you might have noticed that the big fight between All Might and AFO that occurred in canon should've happened here but due to AFO taking an interest in Izuku, the trail went cold and the fight didn't happen. That means that All Might hasn't received his lung injury and is functioning at 100%.
> 
> Yes, Izuku is convinced his Grandpa died right in front of him and will use it as motivation to get better. No he won't get all angsty, Izuku is still to kind hearted to be that way but he will take school and training very seriously.
> 
> I hope I got ten year old Katsuki right. I thought he would be similar to how he is now but less in your face. He'd still talk big after being told by everyone he'd be a great hero but now with an Izuku with a strong Quirk, Katsuki will be more focused on self improvement.
> 
> Let me know your thoughts.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

Izuku resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he watched Ichigo finish off the latest Hollow to haunt Musutafu. Izuku knew Ichigo meant well but it was time he got some experience fighting Hollows; he was thirteen now- far from the defenceless kid Ichigo had met all those years ago.

Ichigo Flash Stepped in front of Izuku and seemed to pick up on his protégé's annoyance.

"Alright, I know I said you would get the next Hollow but this one had some nasty Spiritual Pressure. It would've given you a bigger fight than you seem to think."

Izuku gave a reluctant nod. "I know, I can sense just as well as you," he said. "Would it have been a risk? Sure, but how am I going to improve unless you give me a chance? Not to mention that if things did get that bad, you were nearby to lend a hand."

Ichigo seemed to get embarrassed there.

"That's an excellent point, one that I can't really refute but remember you are still thirteen" he said sheepishly. "I know you want an opportunity to prove yourself but thirteen is too young. I was sixteen when I got my Shinigami powers and students in the Shinigami Academy are equivalently the same age when they go out on their first Hollow expeditions. I know you must feel stifled, but I only have your best interests at heart Izuku."

Izuku smiled and said, "Okay, but next time I'm going to jump in before you get a chance. Now, let us have a spar, it's always good to get some training in while your around." Ichigo's smile got a little strained.

"Right now? We're above the city, wouldn't it be better to use Kisuke's basement?"

Izuku took the choice out of Ichigo's hands by Flash Stepping behind him, slashing with his sword. Ichigo blocked the blow with his left-handed trench knife.

"Too bad Yoruichi told me to be more assertive." Izuku said, smirking.

Ichigo tried to Flash Step away and gain some room for himself but Izuku was hot on his heels, a grin on his face. Neither of them was trying too hard, but it was fun dashing across the sky.

Izuku flashed underneath Ichigo before pointing his right hand, "Hado Seventy-Three: Twin Lotus, Blue Fire Crash down!"

An enormous burst of blue fire threatened to burn Ichigo before he Flash Stepped away. Ichigo held up his hand,

"Enough! If you really want to continue, we can continue in Kisuke's basement. There's a good chance of collateral damage out here but that attack was excellent."

Izuku shrugged, "I'm not some battle maniac, I just want a chance to show you that I'm not weak. I know you're way stronger than I am, but I really want to deal with the next Hollow that shows up!"

A small smile crossed Ichigo's face.

"Alright but at the very least I have to tell you something. Soul Reapers that have spiritual energy equivalent to Lieutenants and above are marked with a seal. This seal prevents their large spiritual presence from effecting the world and people around them by only allowing them to use twenty percent of their power." He smiled and continued.

"Now, years ago Kisuke could sense your potential and placed one of these seals on you. While you're not at a Lieutenant's level yet, you're quickly getting there. I'm going to show you how to disable and reapply the seal, so that if there comes a time when you are fighting for your life, you don't die while fighting at only twenty percent."

A small flare of anger filled Izuku before he squashed it. True the seal had been applied without his knowledge, but it was for a good cause, right? He had been training at twenty percent of his power this entire time.

Ryujin Jakka spoke up. "Yes, that's all true. I would say quite confidently that with the seal off, you would be at a Third Seat's level, only one rank below a Lieutenant. But think, once Ichigo shows you how to take off and put on the seal, he has no excuse not to let you fight Hollows."

That brought a smile to Izuku's face and a dismayed grimace to Ichigo's once this was pointed out.

xXx

Momo Yaoyorozu was, strange as it sounds, rather unsure of herself. Her parents had come up with the idea that since the Pro Hero Endeavour had a girl the same age as their daughter, that it would be a good idea to build connections in that area. It had taken some time and multiple meetings before Endeavor had agreed to allow his youngest daughter to attend a, for lack of a better word, a play date.

Momo had attended all girl's schools the entirety of her young life but none of that experience prepared her for the enigma that was Shoko Todoroki.

Shoko was quiet but not shy. She didn't say much but was happy to study together in the Yaoyorozu mansion's library with her. Shoko wasn't simple either, both girls had been learning subjects above the average middle school's curriculum.

So, Momo was unsure about how to connect with the girl sitting across from her. The cooks had prepared some very nice soba at Shoko's request but while that seemed to ease the awkward atmosphere, the quiet remained. Momo was no psychiatrist but had read a few books on the subject, enough to realise that there was something bothering Shoko but not enough to know how to help.

Talking about heroes had been the one bright spot of the play date, turns out Shoko was a big fan of All Might. Thinking about how to broach the subject of Shoko's facial scar, Momo decided to just bite the bullet and flat out ask,

"Shoko, forgive me if I'm being rude but have you thought about applying make up for your scar?"

There was a long silence, long enough for Momo to think that she had grievously overstepped her bounds until,

"I don't know how and even if I did, I don't have access to make up. Father doesn't like me being too girly."

Momo blinked, that was unexpected but now there was a new way to connect!

"Shoko, I can use the time to teach you so that in the future you know how."

Shoko tilted her head to the side in consideration, "That, sounds nice but I will have to wash it off before I leave."

So, the two girls spent the rest of the afternoon in Momo's room giggling while applying makeup and doing each other's hair. Or at least, Momo kinda giggled while Shoko had a small smile on her face.

Shoko's look of determination as she tried to memorise everything Momo told her about foundation, spot reduction and concealer. She'd had a grand time applying them Momo as well.

True, Shoko may have made Momo's cheeks a little too red and her eyes looked more bruised than in shadow, but Momo had finally cracked Shoko's impassive face which made it all worth it. It was a shame that there wasn't a lot Momo could do with Shoko's hair, it only came to her ears. Practical it may be but there wasn't a lot to play with even if Momo was jealous of Shoko's natural two hair colours.

xXx

As a regretful Shoko wiped away the foundation and concealer on her face that would've allowed her to walk down the street avoiding people's eyes she felt Momo come up behind her. As Shoko turned, a medium sized matryoshka doll was pressed into her grip.

Momo gave her a sad smile, "I know what you said about your father but here, it's the least I can do."

Momo proceeded to open the matryoshka doll up, but three layers in, the pattern of another doll inside stopped. Instead inside there was a miniature make up kit. It was the barest of essentials but there was enough there for Shoko to look normal again.

Momo nervously poked her fingers together, "I know it's not much, but I could see how much this meant to you. I couldn't fit all that much in either, no lipstick or mascara there wasn't enough spa-"

Momo was cut off as Shoko hugged her. It wasn't a bear hug and there wasn't a whole lot of contact, but the intention was there and Momo understood it.

Neither girl realised that they wouldn't get another opportunity to meet after this; Endeavor would decide to step up Shoko's training in preparation for UA, but it was a moment both girls would remember for a long time.

xXx

Aizen smirked as he worked his magic. His Bankai had two different uses, one was changing someone's personal history with his illusions which was Perfect. Far superior to that Book of End that Full bringer Tsukishima had. There was no limit to what he could manipulate inside someone's memories nor how many memories he could fabricate and install.

Tsukishima could only make superficial changes but Aizen's Bankai could change someone on the fundamental level.

Not their biological make up of course, that wasn't possible but changing things that made someone unique? Turn a straight person gay? A racist into a non-bigot? All was possible with his power.

The second ability was to turn his illusions into reality itself. There was of course a limit to this, but that ability wasn't the one he needed right now.

Aizen's victim was a Quirkless person whose memories were being rewritten to having All For One taking their Quirk. There would be a daring escape which was only possible due to a minion's incompetence and upon escape make for All Might at top speed.

This was vital to Aizen's plans. He needed All For One distracted enough to allow him time to sneak into All For One's secure base. Whoever won the ensuing fight was irrelevant, Aizen only needed the time to steal what he needed from All For One.

It would then be a simple matter to release the victim nearby All Might's hero agency and watch events unfold. Sure there were holes in the story but only upon careful examination would they be uncovered but Aizen was counting on All Might's hot head to overpower Sir Nighteye's intellect.

Knowing of All Might's hatred for All For One allowed Aizen to accurately predict the number one's actions. All Might would head straight towards one of All For One's safe houses and promptly tear it apart searching for his enemy.

xXx

All Might felt his heart break as he watched young Jin break down in his office while speaking of his time in All For One's 'care'. It was a story he had heard before, but it never ceased to be painful. He managed to keep his voice level however as he asked,

"Do you know the rough location of your prison?"

"Um, it looked like the area where all the ship containers are kept. You know, they all sit in separate piles?"

Nighteye pushed his glasses up, "You would've passed at least three other hero Agencies before getting to this one. Why come here specifically?"

Jin had a terrified look in his eyes, "All For One had a message for All Might. 'It's time to settle things, hero. If you're not here midday on the day of Jin's escape, I'll blow up a hospital.'"

All Might didn't even wait to hear anything else; he was out the window and leaping through the air to the rough area outlined on the map Jin had been given. He gave no thought to the incredulous response of Nighteye that he barely heard or time to consider how it would be a trap, no all All Might thought about as the bloody face of Nana Shimura and how it was time for justice.

xXx

Izuku had barely started eating his lunch when he felt a surge of spiritual energy somewhere in the distance.

'Ryujin, is that who I think it is?!'

"Yes, that signature feels like your grandfather. Not sure how this has happened, but you should check it out."

'What about school?'

"Do you want to stay bored for another three hours or see your grandfather again? Hurry up brat."

Izuku didn't need any more prompting, leaving his food and Katsuki behind with a Flash Step. It had been three years since Gramps's death, and he was going to see exactly what was going on.

xXx

All Might felt his smile turn a little blood thirsty as he gazed down at All For One. The villain had taken significant damage and was lying on his back, suit in tatters and face a broken mess.

"Today your reign of terror ends All For One!"

All For One chuckled, "Perhaps but let me just say one more thing. My life will end with far more dignity then your precious Nana Shimura's. Did you know, she begged for her life at the end. Begged, like a dog, like a bit-"

Fury filled All Might and he lost all sense of reason; all he knew was that he needed to punch All For One in his face with everything he had.

That was why All Might missed All For One raising his left arm, cloaked in a multitude of different Quirks and tear the left side of his body apart.

All Might stumbled backwards in agony before falling on his side. His breathing was laboured, and he could feel himself drifting into unconsciousness, but he forced himself to stay alert. The appearance of a purple cloud caught his attention and a purple, gaseous figure with yellow eyes emerged.

"Master, there has been a development that requires your urgent attention. Tomura has been taken by the one you call Aizen."

All For One struggled to sit up and growled, "So that was his angle huh? Well played Aizen but he made a dangerous enemy today. Come Kurogiri, we are leaving."

None of that made any sense to All Might, who was Aizen and how had he angered All For One? This Tomura sounded important but there was nothing All Might could do about it. There was no strength left in his body, even the act of breathing was an effort. The distress beacon on his belt may as well have been in another country for all the good it did him now.

All Might blinked as a boy in a middle school's uniform appeared out of nowhere, looking around curiously before his eye's widened in alarm.

"ALL MIGHT! DON'T WORRY, I'll CALL FOR HELP!"

All Might coughed and summoned the very last bit of his strength, "No, young man come here. Tell me, what do you want to be?"

"A hero, someone who saves people with a smile, just like you."

Blood trickled out of All Might's mouth, "Good. This will sound bad, but I need to drink a drop of my blood. I fear I am dying and need to pass on my Quirk. Talk to Gran Torino and Sir Nighteye, they will tell you everything you need to know."

The boy's mouth dropped open in shock, "W-What are you talking about? Pass on Quirks? That's impossible!"

All Might might've chuckled if he could, "It's true. Now quickly, just dip a finger in my blood and drink it before I die. I should've picked a successor years ago."

The boy still looked completely lost but did as he as told, face scrunching up with distaste. The last thing All Might felt at that second was relief that One For All had been passed on in time.

xXx

Sir Nighteye hadn't known what to expect by the time he arrived at the location provided but a bloody and unconscious All Might wasn't it, nor was the presence of what looked to be a middle schooler who also looked to be unconscious.

Sir had managed to gather Gran Torino and Best Jeanist, who's agency was nearby, as back up but All For One was nowhere in sight. Training took over and Sir started first aid on All Might while the others patrolled the area to ensure that they were in fact alone.

A cursory check on the boy revealed no injuries of any kind but a horrible suspicion rose in Sir Nighteye's mind. All Might still had to find a successor and might've panicked at the thought of dying without passing on One For All. Had the boy passed out from the strain of adapting to One For All? And most importantly, was the boy worthy of wielding it?

xXx

Izuku frowned as he looked around. His soul-scape had always been a forest with a mountain in the distance but now it had changed. Different kinds of flowers and fruits hung from the branches and Izuku could hear the trickle of water somewhere.

Normally Ryujin Jakka would meet him first thing when Izuku came here but now he was nowhere in sight. Closing his eyes, Izuku focused. There! Roughly a hundred meters away was his Zanpakuto spirit.

When Izuku got closer, he saw that a lake had formed, one that hadn't been there the last time Izuku was here. Standing on the sandy shore, he saw Ryujin and he wasn't alone.

A quick Flash Step and he stood next to Ryujin, looking at a beautiful woman with long black hair, kind eyes and a mole under her lips. The women looked down at Izuku before giving him a kind smile,

"Hello there, you must be Izuku. I bet you have a bunch of questions but so do I! I guess we can take turns answering if that's okay?"

Izuku nodded, "Alright. Well you know my name but what's yours?"

She extended a hand, "Well I used to be called Nana Shimura but, in this instance, would it be more accurate to call me One For All? I don't know but it's a pleasure to meet you.

"Now, would you mind explaining where we are? The big orange guy next to you wasn't very talkative. In fact all he's done is glare at me."

Izuku scratched his head, "Um, well this place is my soul-scape; It's where I come to talk to Ryujin Jakka here. It's exactly as it sounds, it's a place inside my soul but what did you mean when you said One For All? All Might said that as well."

Nana, or was it One For All? Hummed thoughtfully, "Well One For All was All Might's Quirk. It stockpiles power but also has the ability to be passed on from one user to another. As the Quirk is passed on, the stockpiled energy of One For All is increased so every new wielder is stronger than the last.

"Now, since getting here, I've been getting brief flashes of your life. What exactly is a Soul Reaper?"

So Izuku explained all about Soul Society, Hollows and spiritual energy. That was when he got an idea,

"Wait, I remember something Mr Urahara said! Quirks are the result of latent spiritual energy emerging in humans and since I'm a Soul Reaper and One For All is a Quirk, it stands to reason that you are basically the avatar for One For All here in my soul-scape."

She nodded in agreement, "That makes sense. In that case just call me Nana. I was the Seventh holder of One For All and I can feel the other six holders before me in the back of my mind. Thinking back, I believe One For All has always been a little sentient but this is far more than what we got before."

Nana threw back her head and laughed, "I can feel the wind in my hair again! And you can hear my voice perfectly. Training you up to be a hero is going to be a piece of cake now!

"Oh right, the First holder was Quirkless but the myself and the other five all had Quirks. In time, you will have to master their use as well, not to mention the most basic use of One For All; enhanced strength and speed.

"I would hazard a guess here and say that when it comes to the other Quirks, the previous holders would take my place."

Ryujin Jakka crossed his arms and growled, "Sorry to cut the happy atmosphere but can you explain why All Might was so badly hurt? Who was All Might fighting?"

A serious expression crossed Nana's face, "Right, Toshi was fighting All For One. He's a villain whose Quirk allows him to take, use or give out other people's Quirks. He is the sworn enemy of us, the holders of One For All."

She explained the origins of One For All and just how tightly wound the fates of both Quirks were. That was information that alarmed both Izuku and Ryujin Jakka. The fiery sword spirit stook a step towards Nana, voice filled with urgency,

"Would you say All For One was a master manipulator? One capable of keeping up an act for years at a time? Who wouldn't let the idea of destroying the happiness of a boy keep him from his goals?"

When Nana gave a terse nod, Izuku sank to his knees in shock, it could not be true! Nana crouched down, concern on her face.

"Izuku, what's wrong? Why ask those questions specifically?" She asked.

Ryujin spoke of the doubts he'd had of Tohdoh's death, how there hadn't been a soul present that needed passage to Soul Society that day but Izuku was too distraught to notice. He spoke of how his experiences with Yamamoto and the Soul Reapers of the Thirteen Divisions had led Ryujin to suspect that Tohdoh was hiding something but Izuku refused to hear it. How they had sensed the presence of Tohdoh again today and followed it, arriving at the broken body of All Might.

In a small voice, Izuku explained how he had met his grandfather, Tohdoh Midoriya and everything up to his 'death'. How Tohdoh had taken Izuku under his wing, moulded his world view and how Izuku had come to love his 'Gramps'.

Izuku stopped talking when he felt Nana's arms envelope him in a hug.

"I'm sorry Izuku. I know that doesn't mean all that much to you right now but it's true. All For One is a real bastard and he will pay for everything he's done. I'm not sure why All For One felt the need to interfere with your life but you can bet that we'll find out the truth, together." She said, comforting him.

Izuku didn't respond, just hugged Nana even tighter, tears threatening to spill from his eyes as the image of his kind, loving grandpa shattered into a thousand pieces and the sting of betrayal ached in his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So what did you think? Shoko gets some girl time with Momo and Izuku's psyche takes a hit. We find out a small part of Aizen's plan.
> 
> As for the delay, no real excuse. My mental state suffered a bit during the isolation but I'm feeling better now so hopefully a more regular update schedule will occur but no promises.
> 
> Shout out to theriku260 for some great beta work.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the chapter.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you thought? Yes Izuku is the reincarnation or Yamamoto. I know there is at least one really popular fic where Izuku has fire power, *cough Viridescent cough* but this whole fic came out of one idea. I wanted to give Izuku a Zanpakuto and after brainstorming with my beta, theriku260, a fic was born. 
> 
> It made the most sense to use Ryujin Jakka since the reemergence of the strongest fire type zanpakuto would have all sides scurrying to help or hinder Izuku. I hope that came across.


End file.
